Marijuana Use Causes Man Boobs?

In a post for CNN on Thursday, Detroit-based plastic surgeon Dr. Anthony Youn warned that marijuana use could be behind the development of man boobs, known in the medical world as "gynecomastia," because of the drug's effects on hormone levels.

"Gynecomastia is caused by a hormone imbalance between testosterone and estrogen," Youn wrote. "When the ratio between testosterone and estrogen tips in favor of estrogen, the body responds by creating excessive breast tissue. Hence, man boobs."

Animal studies, the physician explained, have shown that exposure to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active component in cannabis, can result in a "decrease in testosterone levels, a reduction of testicular size and abnormalities in…sperm."

There may not be any definitive evidence as yet linking marijuana use and man boobs, but Youn is hardly the first person to suggest a connection.

According to a recent Philly.com report on the topic, the medical community has suspected a link between pot and moobs for decades. However, due to the drug's status as an illicit substance, there hasn't been sufficient research to confirm these speculations.

"Young men who use marijuana through puberty may have that transient, temporary breast enlargement become permanent because as their testosterone levels are altered by the marijuana," Goldman said. "They can get interference with the normal development. And those men can have in essence more breast tissue when they're done with puberty than they would have otherwise had."

Earlier this month, Dr. Adrian Lo, a plastic surgeon at Pennsylvania Hospital who specializes in breast reduction for men, told Philly.com that about a third of his patients are regular marijuana users.

Many "doctors, endocrinologists and surgeons with clinical acumen" have definitely been noticing a trend, Lo said.

"Although the association between marijuana and gynecomastia hasn't been conclusively proven, it appears very plausible. For this reason, the majority of plastic surgeons I've consulted with routinely inquire with their gynecomastia patients about cannabis use and recommend they stop smoking pot immediately," he said. "So for now, if you have moobs, it's probably best to put out that joint."